It Started With Our Father
At five years old, I said I wanted to be a bootmaker like my dad. Years later, my brother and I realized it wasn't just my answer. It was our family's story." – Pedro
At the end of kindergarten, our teacher asked each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Like many of my classmates, I said I wanted to be like my father.
There was only one problem—I didn't actually know what he did, so my teacher called my mother to ask. She told her he was a bootmaker.
During our class presentation, I stood up and announced that I was going to be a bootmaker just like my dad. My sister suggested I choose something else since bootmaker was not a conventional answer. I didn't want something else. I wanted to be like my dad.
That was my answer at five years old. I didn't know then just how much history was behind it.
family roots
Our family's roots are in Le6n, Guanajuato, a city in Mexico with generations of leatherworking and shoemaking traditions.
Our grandfather on our father's side was a zapatero—a shoemaker. Our father went on to make boots. On our mother's side, our grandfather made and sold leather shoes, and our mother worked in one of León's shoe factories. Aunts, uncles, cousins—the craft reaches across both sides of our family.
For generations, working with leather wasn't simply an occupation. It was part of everyday life and survival.
My brother and I were born and raised in El Paso, Texas, where our father continued the trade working for long standing American boot brands. We grew up surrounded by boots, leather, and conversations about the craftsmanship that went into every piece.
